


A Borrowed Mother

by xo_marauders



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Child Abuse, Hurt/Comfort, Marauders, Sirius Black & James Potter - Freeform, Sirius running away
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-11-15 05:24:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18067409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xo_marauders/pseuds/xo_marauders
Summary: Sirius runs away from home.





	A Borrowed Mother

**Author's Note:**

> (TW: child abuse)

It was a quiet night at the Potter house. Fleamont and Euphemia had turned in for the night, each of them giving James a kiss on the forehead before going off to bed. James headed to bed himself not long after, trailing up the stairs and down the hall to his bedroom. After tossing his glasses onto the nightstand next to his bed, he flopped down onto the soft mattress, letting out a heavy sigh of sleepiness. 

Just as he was about to let his eyes flutter shut for the night, he heard a very faint knocking coming from downstairs. James furrowed his eyebrows, wondering who it could be this late at night. He waited a moment, thinking his father would answer the door or whoever it was would eventually go away. 

Then a second knock came. 

James flung himself off the bed, quite annoyed at the timing of this stranger and scrambled for his glasses, putting them on before marching downstairs. 

“For Merlin’s sake...” He muttered grumpily as he made his way down the steps and to the front door. He paused for a moment, debating on whether he should wake his father first in case it was someone...unwelcome. But his gryffindor pride got the best of him and he gripped his wand tightly as he opened the door. 

When the door opened, all of James’ frustration and panic evaporated and was replaced with fear. Not for himself, but for the young man standing before him. His face was black and blue with his left eye looking swollen almost shut. There were several cuts along his arms and neck and even his face, which was pale and gaunt looking. The boy was shivering profusely and his eyes were red and tear stained. 

“Sirius?” 

James could barely register that it was his best mate that was standing before him. He couldn’t comprehend it. Although he had an idea what Sirius’ home life was like he never ever pictured it to be this bad...

“Hey, Prongs.” His voice was raw and thick sounding. Sirius gave a weak laugh that quickly turned into hissing sound as a result of the pain he felt, his arm reaching up to wrap around his ribs. James blinked a few times before standing aside and allowing Sirius to come inside. The young man stumbled inside, almost instantly falling onto the couch, shutting his eyes and groaning in pain. James knelt down in front of him, reaching his hands up to cup his friends face to examine his injuries. 

“Bloody hell, Sirius, what happened?” 

Sirius tried to laugh again but it came out strained and sounded more like a sob. Tears burned the edges of his eyes and he shook his head. 

“Mother has finally burned me off the family tree. And father has finally let me have it...said he had ran out of patience.” Sirius looked far off for a moment, as if he was re-living the trauma. 

“Stay here. I’ll go get dad.” James stood up before Sirius could refuse and ran up the steps to fetch Fleamont and Euphemia. Sirius glanced around the living room, taking in the sight of happy family photos hung up on the walls and set along the fireplace. It was a warm and welcoming sight but at the moment, it made Sirius feel utterly and completely lonely. He blinked back tears and held his arm tightly to his chest, wrapping his ribs which he was sure were broken, and found himself lying down on the couch and curling into himself. He felt so small and so pathetic, lying there in a home that wasn’t his, intruding on a family that he wasn’t a part of. Eventually the exhaustion and pain he felt made his eyes flutter shut and he fell asleep just as James was returning with his parents following closely behind. 

Euphemia gasped when she saw the small boy curled up on her couch. She couldn’t understand how someone—especially a parent—could do something like that to a child. Fleamont was angry at the sight, and he too, couldn’t understand how anyone could harm their own child in such a way. 

“I’ll get...I’ll get some healing potions. And some blankets, and–“

“Mia, he’s fallen asleep. Let’s let him rest awhile. We can tend to him in the morning.” Fleamont said, though his voice sounded uneasy about waiting to treat Sirius’ injuries. 

Euphemia walked over to the couch gently lifting Sirius up before sitting down and pulling him into her lap, stroking his hair gently. She tried not to cry at the sight of him but a few tears managed to escape. Fleamont and James watched, their own hearts breaking at the sight, and they sat there quietly for a long moment, unsure of what to really do about the situation. 

“James, you should go to bed. You need your rest.” Euphemia spoke up after awhile. James was just about to refuse, not wanting to leave his friend alone when Euphemia interrupted. 

“I’ll stay down here for the night. Just in case he wakes up.” 

James began to protest again but his father put a hand on his shoulder and nodded toward the stairs. James reluctantly left, glancing back at Sirius’ sleeping form before going up to his own bedroom. 

“You go to bed, too, Flea. Keep an eye on James. I know he’s worried.” Euphemia said. Fleamont nodded and walked over to kiss his wife gently before following his son up the steps. She looked back down at the boy in her lap and sighed, her fingers running through his black hair. She pulled out her wand which she had brought downstairs with her when James had woken her, and traced along Sirius’ cuts, mending them and clearing away the blood. 

She lied awake for several hours, just holding and rocking Sirius softly in her arms when she noticed how he began to twitch and tremble in his sleep. His breath became shaky and he began mumbling incoherently. A nightmare. 

“No, please...please....no....” 

Euphemia held onto him still and whispered softly, trying to calm him down. 

“Sirius, it’s okay. It’s okay. You’re safe.” 

Sirius still shook and suddenly his eyes popped open and he sat up, breaking free from Euphemia’s embrace. He looked around for a moment, trying to remember where he was, his body trembling with fear. Euphemia watched in horror as the young man took in his surroundings, feeling absolutely heartbroken for the boy. 

“Sirius,” she said, leaning forward and gently touching his shoulder. He flinched and turned, just noticing that she was there and taking a few moments to register where he was again. When he realized it was her and not his own mother Sirius began sobbing, his arms clutching onto himself, afraid to do anything else. 

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I showed up like this. I’m sorry....”

Euphemia shook her head and pulled Sirius into her arms, his face falling into the crook of her neck as he sobbed. She stroked his hair and shushed him softly, rocking back and forth until his sobs seemed to fade. 

“Don’t be sorry. You have no reason to be. You’re always welcome here, Sirius. You are our family and you always will be.” 

And Sirius realized that what Euphemia was saying was true. He didn’t have to feel like an intruder. He didn’t have to feel like a burden. Not here. Not with the Potters. They accepted him how he was and loved him unconditionally like a real family should. So he let himself sob into Euphemia’s shoulder and clutched onto her eventually falling asleep in the arms of a borrowed mother.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Tumblr: @xomarauders


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